


Show Me The Ropes

by ElderPoptarts



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-14 16:44:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4571994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElderPoptarts/pseuds/ElderPoptarts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rock climbing AU where Steve falls on Bucky while bouldering and Steve finds Bucky's harness very distracting...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve falls for Bucky. Quite literally.

Steve was warming up in the bouldering area of the gym. He had just finished a problem and was hanging off the wall. He was pretty good at climbing, which people found hard to believe due to his scrawny appearance. In climbing, muscle means weight, which is a disadvantage. The problem he had just finished was a level harder than Steve usually practices on so he was allowing himself to revel in the small victory before returning to the ground.

His arms started to ache so he let go of the wall, letting himself fall to the crash mats. However, Steve landed off balance and stumbled to the side, colliding with a fellow climber and sending them both to the ground. Thank God for crash mats.

Steve hurriedly got to his feet, "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry! I forgot to check the ground before I fell! Are you alright?" He was looking everywhere except the strangers face but then he couldn't avoid eye contact any longer. The skinny blonde looked up at the taller man and his blue eyes widened. Oh no, he's hot.

The man had long, dark hair scraped back into a loose bun and he was clean shaved. He was wearing a gray tank top that was a tad too big for him and hung loosely from his shoulders, showing his collarbones and the tops of his pecs, a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a pair of black and yellow La Sportiva climbing shoes. Steve was jealous, he was still wearing his old Boreal Jokers he got when he first started climbing over two years ago. The stranger chuckled and Steve realized he'd been caught checking out the taller man. Oh God, Steve was in deep trouble.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm not used to this area of the gym. You'll usually just find me on the roped climbing routes. I should have been watching the walls." 

Steve took a deep breath before stuttering, “Speaking of, maybe we should get out of here?”

“Good plan.” They were careful to avoid standing underneath active climbers as the two men maneuvered their way out into the main hall of the climbing gym. The main hall was a long hall with climbing walls fitted with ropes on opposite walls. Wooden benches with storage compartments underneath were lined up along the center of the hall.

“I’m Bucky, by the way.” The man held out his hand with a warm smile on his beautiful (stop it, Steve) face. His chalk-covered fingers were wrapped in white tape.

That reminded Steve to check his own hands before returning Bucky’s handshake. All good for now. His hands were tingling from scraping them on the holds but it was a satisfying feeling. “Steve.” The shorter man squeaked. Goddamnit, Steve, get it together! The two climbers walked over to the benches in the middle of the hall and sat down. Steve needed to take a breather. Asthma sucks. 

There was a moment of silence before Steve got enough breath and courage to speak. “So how long have you been climbing, Bucky?”

“Just over a year now, I think. Just top rope and a little bit of lead climbing. You?” Bucky pulled a water bottle out of his bag and took a swig.

“Coming up two and a half years now. I do top rope and bouldering. I tried lead climbing once. Wasn’t a fan. I’ve competed a few times in bouldering tournaments.”

“Oh, really? D’you do well?” Bucky pulled his harness out of his bag and stood, gearing up. Steve did the same.

“Eh, I guess but I’ve only been in the final once.” Steve blushed, why does this guy even care? Bucky could be training or speaking to anyone else right now. There are plenty of attractive, muscular guys and fit girls in this gym. Steve’s a human twig.

“Nice. I just climb for fun. Wish I had a partner, though instead of being stuck with that auto-belay.” The taller man made a face.

“That’s cool. I’ve been climbing alone too. The auto-belay’s a pain in the ass. If you slip once you have to start all over again. D’you want me to belay for you?” What the hell, Steve? You know that involves talking to this guy for at least a couple hours, right? It’s okay you can do this. Stay calm.

It was then Steve made the mistake to look down at Bucky’s harness. Climbing harnesses have a sometimes awful, sometimes quite enjoyable habit of emphasizing a man’s junk. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes shot up to the brunette’s before he could be caught staring. 

Bucky smirked, “Sure, thanks.” Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have no idea where I'm going with this I had this idea at 3am and it seemed cute at the time. This chapter is so short, omg. I don't know how many chapters this will have so I'm just gonna go with the flow and see where the story goes. Suggestions/requests are very welcome if you have an idea! (also i added a bonus doodle of climber!steve because I'm getting wayy too invested in this au... enjoy! ill probably draw more, like a climber!bucky sketch or them climbing or something in further chapters)
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments! Thanks for reading!
> 
> -Sebastian
> 
> P.S. Climbing Lingo:
> 
> Bouldering is where a climber climbs without a harness or rope and solves what are known as problems. Problems are where you have to get from one hold on the wall to another without falling and only using specified holds (which are usually colour or tape coded). Most climbing gyms have a specified bouldering area with crash mats (big padded mattresses) covering the floor to avoid injuries.
> 
> Top rope climbing is climbing with a rope attached to your harness which goes up to the top of the wall and down to the ground where the belayer pulls in slack rope to keep the climber from falling too far down the rope.
> 
> An auto-belay is a machine on the top of a wall with a single end of rope coming down from it that automatically pulls in slack rope and lowers a climber down to the ground again so the climber doesn't need another person to belay for them.
> 
> Lead climbing is where a climber ties in the rope themselves as they climb the wall. There is still a belayer at the bottom of the wall but the climber is dependent on themselves to tie in the rope so they don't fall too far. However, there is more of a risk of a further fall when lead climbing than top rope climbing.
> 
> The white tape on Bucky's fingers is finger tape. Finger tape is used by climbers to protect their skin or tendons/muscles in their fingers while climbing. You don't really need it much when climbing indoors unless you damage your skin or its starting to feel sore.
> 
> Climbers use chalk on their hands to help them grip the rock/holds. Chalk is usually kept in a specially designed chalk bag which the climber attaches to a chalk bag belt or harness for easy access when bouldering or climbing. (a chalk bag has a solid rim so you can easily get your hands in it. Imagine Steve and Bucky covered in the stuff. It gets everywhere. Its impossible to use chalk while climbing and not get it all over your pants.
> 
> Climbing shoes are designed to grip and stick to the rock/holds and are tight fitting to ensure there is minimal "dead space" (places in the shoe your feet don't fill) so you can use smaller holds easier. They often have down-turned toes and heels that stick out a bit so you can perform heel and toe hooks easier and you can climb steep and overhanging walls easier. This is especially useful when bouldering.
> 
> And I'm pretty sure y'all know what a harness is for.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is finding it very hard to keep his cool in front of Bucky and his man bun.

Steve and Bucky climbed for at least two hours together, taking turns to belay. Bucky even managed to convince Steve to try lead climbing again. Steve was still not a fan. By the time midday came around (they both enjoyed climbing in the mornings because the gym was usually quieter then), both men were exhausted and hungry. 

“You wanna get lunch with me? I was just gonna go up to the café.” Bucky said, packing up his gear. The climbing centre had a café on a kind of balcony overlooking the main climbing hall.

This took Steve by surprise. He had just assumed all this time that Bucky was only climbing with him because he needed a belay. Steve realized suddenly that this could still be the case. Bucky might just be having lunch with him to say thanks, or just to be polite. The blonde had no idea what possessed him to say yes. Probably those puppy-like, blue eyes. Curse them and their hypnotic ways.

The climbers grabbed their bags full of climbing gear after Steve had finished replacing his climbing shoes with sneakers on his feet and they made their way up the metal staircase to the balcony café. Steve took a seat at one of the tables and offered to watch Bucky’s bag while he cleaned up his hands. The taller man thanked him and went to the bathroom to rid his fingers of the white tape and chalk. When he returned to their table, Steve did the same.

“I’ve never seen you here before. Why didn’t you train here when you first started climbing?” Steve stuttered, still not able to look Bucky in the face without being reduced to a babbling mess.

“Well, I grew up here in Brooklyn and lived here until about a year and a half ago when I moved over to Chicago to be with my family. My Ma was sick.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh, she’s fine now. Back to her old self. While I was there I got a little bored because I didn’t know anyone and I had nothing to do with my free time when I wasn’t taking care of my mom. I saw there was a climbing center just a couple of blocks over from where I was staying and thought ‘Why the hell not?’ y’know?”

Steve nodded a little, listening intently despite how nervous he was to actually be having a full conversation with this stunning man.

“So that’s when I started getting into it. My ma got better and I had no reason to stay in Chicago anymore. I missed Brooklyn so I moved back just last month. So, here I am.” Bucky finished with a small smile. “So, what’s your story?”

After Bucky’s story, Steve felt like he needed to start from the beginning too: “I was born and raised here. Never lived anywhere else. My friends, Natasha and Clint – also climbers – convinced me to tag along with them to their weekly training session one time and I’ve been hooked ever since.” Steve ended his life story with a shrug.

There was a pause, “C’mon, Stevie! There’s got to be more to ya than that!” Bucky beamed.

Steve’s breath hitched at the nickname. Oh, Stevie, you’re in deep trouble…

“Um, yeah, no. That- that’s it.” Steve mumbled, avoiding the brunette’s gaze.

“Hmm… sure.” Bucky gave the blonde a knowing look.

Steve was almost shaking. Bucky was just so gorgeous. He loved the way he tied his hair in that messy bun that still somehow looked perfect, the way his eyes widened yet crinkled at the corners when he smiled and the way he seemed so relaxed and laidback all the time. It was almost infectious. Almost. Steve still felt like he was gonna mess himself if Bucky looked at him like that again…

“So Stevie, you wanna do this again sometime? I need a- a partner and todays been great.”

Deep breath, “Sure, Buck. I- I climb every Saturday morning and some- sometimes Tuesday evenings. Oh, and whenever I get time off at work.” Steve’s voice trembled. Was this really happening? And he just called him Buck? Where did that come from?

The taller man grinned. His eyes doing that wide-but-crinkly thing again and Steve’s insides just melted. “That sounds perfect. Here, I’ll write down my number just incase anything comes up.” Steve hoped nothing would. Bucky pulled a pen from his bag and scribbled on his napkin before sliding it across the table. “Text me so you can do the same.”

The blonde pulled out his phone and quickly typed. The other man’s phone made a beeping sound a moment later.

Bucky glanced at his phone, “Great.” He beamed.  
Steve began to gather his things, “Um, I- I’d better go, Buck. Clint and Natasha invited me over later. I gotta go get cleaned up.” He still struggled to form coherent sentences… 

A flash of what seemed like disappointment appeared in Bucky’s eyes, but was replaced a second later by that warm look and recognition. He recalled the names from their earlier conversation, “Sure thing, Stevie. Thanks for everything this morning. Can’t wait for next week. I’m starting to think I should stand under bouldering climbers more often.” He flashed his straight, white teeth and Steve had to steady himself, gripping the table. Was Bucky flirting with him? Steve wasn’t good at this whole talking to attractive muscular men thing.

“Uh yeah, thanks. I- I’ll see you later. Next week.” He forced a smile, which probably looked more like a grimace. “Bye.”

“Bye, Stevie!” Bucky almost sang as the short blonde stumbled down the stairs.

This was going to be a long week…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is finally here! This would have come earlier but I had a pretty hectic weekend. This fic isn't being beta'd, by the way, so please correct me on any mistakes! Clintasha makes an appearance next chapter so look forward to that! I'm getting so much more enthusiastic about this fic than I thought I would be, to be honest. Also, I have a habit of writing very short chapters but I make up for it by posting as frequently as possible! Like, there will be a new chapter every few days so like, twice a week maybe sometimes just once.
> 
> As I said last chapter, please comment and leave kudos! I honestly wasn't expecting so much positive feedback so early but you guys are like lightning and I've had over 300 hits already! Thanks so much!
> 
> -Sebastian


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work, work, work and disastrous texts.

“So Spiderman, finally found yourself a climbing buddy this morning?” Clint asked with a smirk. Steve had decided to pass on going home and cleaning up, driving straight from the climbing center to Clint and Natasha’s house/workplace. They ran a doggy day care from their own home. Currently, they were housing 5 dogs: a little Jack Russell Terrier on Steve’s lap, an old Labrador (Clint’s dog, called Lucky) at Clints’s feet, a Cocker Spaniel nuzzled into Natasha’s side and two pugs in the dog bed in the corner of the room.

“Um, kinda.” Steve started to blush, sat in the large armchair, which made him look even smaller than he already was.

Both Natasha and Clint’s eyes widened before they both composed themselves again, shuffling on the sofa. “Finally! I’m so sick of hearing you complain about that god awful auto-belay.” The redhead replied. “Come on, Steve, who are they? How did you meet?”

Steve was suddenly overwhelmed with thoughts of Bucky and zoned out for a second before shaking his head as if to shake the thoughts out of it. “He’s called Bucky. I, uh… I kinda, well, f-fell on him.”

Clint snorted and the skinny blonde’s face turned an even deeper red.

“I was bouldering and didn’t land properly. I stumbled and he was just… there, I guess.” He was stuttering, embarrassed. “We both needed partners so he offered to belay for me.”

“Was he hot?” Natasha interrupted.

“Um, yeah.” Steve looked down at his lap to occupy him with the puppy laying in it in a failed attempt at hiding the heat in his cheeks. “We ate lunch together and h-he gave me his number. He wants to climb with me again.”

Clint and Natasha were stunned into silence. It wasn’t often things like this happened to Steve Rogers.

“He’s so into you.” Natasha smiled, petting the dog by her side.

“He is not! He just needs a climbing partner!” Steve protested.

“Whatever you say, Spiderman.” Clint smirked, reaching to his feet to scratch behind Lucky’s ear.

“Shut up, guys.” The blonde glanced at the wall clock. 4:45pm. “I’d better get going. I still need to clean up.” He removed the dog from his lap and stood up.

“Alright, Steve. Keep us updated with all the latest news on Bucky!” Natasha called as the short man left, grinning and shaking his head in mock exasperation. Clint and Natasha always made him leave with a smile on his face.

 

Monday morning, Steve was at work by 9am at the sports and outdoor activities store 5 minutes from his house. He had an uneventful morning. His job usually consisted of hanging around the climbing department and helping customers who needed him, which wasn’t his dream job, he had to be honest. However, things were a little more enjoyable today with a certain someone always in his mind. Steve wondered if Bucky had texted him yet, or even called him. He got nothing all Sunday.

When his lunch break came around, he visited the water sports department in search of Tony, finding him with an armful of oars and panic in his eyes.

“Hey, Steve! Could ya give me a hand here?” Tony called when he saw the short man appear at the end of the aisle.

Steve took half of the oars from Tony and set them in place on the rack, Tony following his actions.

“Wanna grab lunch across the street?”

Tony put his hand on his hip and scratched his beard, “Sure, let me go grab my stuff.”

The men were sat in the sandwich bar across the street when Steve’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out hurriedly and his face broke into a huge grin when he saw Bucky’s name appear on his screen.

“What’s going on, Steve? You’ve been smiling like an idiot all morning.”

“Nothing. Nothing Tony. Don’t worry.”

The dark haired man quirked an eyebrow, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. Steve’s remained untouched. He quickly unlocked his phone and opened the message.

Bucky: Hey, Stevie! You said you climbed Tuesday evenings right? You up for a bouldering session tomorrow at 5:30? I could use some tips from an expert ;)

Steve shuddered at the nickname, again. Bucky put a wink at the end. Steve pictured him winking at him before smiling with those wide-but-crinkly eyes, just like he did on Saturday. The blonde’s fingers moved quickly on the screen of his phone, typing out a reply:

Steve: Sure, Buck. I finish work at 5 tomorrow so I’ll come straight to the gym x

His heart was racing and he immediately pressed send without even reading the message through. He looked at the screen one more time before realizing: he put a kiss at the end of the message. What the hell was he thinking? What the fuck Steve? He’s gonna think you’re so creepy! Steve sent the kisses by habit now as Natasha always ended her texts with a little ‘x’. He was horrified.

The short man shoved his phone into his pocket, panicking and unsure what to do. It was then he realized that Tony had been watching him from across the table the entire time.

“You okay, Steve?”

Steve was panting, “Fuck.”

“Steve?”

“I’m fine. We have to go back to work. Our lunch break ends in five minutes.” He hurriedly grabbed his things and closed the box with his untouched sandwich inside before bolting from the shop and across the street, Tony struggling to keep up behind him.

“Steve? What the fuck is happening?”

“Nothing!” Something clearly was happening, “Just go back to work, I’ll see you after my shift.”

Steve was true to his word and met Tony out by the side of the building. They both leant against the cool brick wall and Steve pulled his still untouched sandwich from his bag, realizing he still hadn’t eaten since breakfast when his stomach growled. 

“So what happened?” Tony asked.

Steve sighed, not really wanting to talk about it despite the fluttering in his belly when he was reminded of Bucky, “I met a guy at the climbing center.”

Steve was never secretive of his bisexuality so Tony knew exactly what this meant. He tried to ignore the lump in his throat. “So you freaked out over a handsome man in the middle of lunch for no reason?”

The blonde took a bite of his sandwich, “He texted me when we were in the sandwich shop and I got… A little flustered. I accidentally sent a kiss at the end of the message. We’ve met one time! He’s gonna think I’m a creep!” He started to shake and his breathing became labored.

“Whoah Steve, calm down. I’m sure he wont think much of it.” Tony soothed, placing his hand on the smaller man’s shoulders. The dark haired man couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He’d liked the petite blonde ever since Steve started working at the store but no one ever found out. Tony was rather good at hiding – or, more accurately, ignoring – his feelings.

Steve’s breathing started to even out without the use of his inhaler and he thanked Tony. “I’d better get home, I’ve had a long day.”

“Sure thing, Steve. Drive safe.” Tony couldn’t help the hint of sadness in his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry its been a week since I updated! I've had a busy week... okay not really. I've had plenty of time to write, this chapter just didn't come to me as easy so I apologise if its a little crappier than usual. I've been writing notes and ideas for future chapters and characters and stuff so at least I've still been working! I'm excited for you guys to find out what Bucky does for a living... Hint: very tight fitting pants. Also poor Tony ;n; he may get what he wants and more in the future... Maybe.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Make sure to leave kudos and comments and subscribe if you're enjoying!
> 
> \- Sebastian

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I have no idea where I'm going with this I had this idea at 3am and it seemed cute at the time. This chapter is so short, omg. I don't know how many chapters this will have so I'm just gonna go with the flow and see where the story goes. Suggestions/requests are very welcome if you have an idea! (also i added a bonus doodle of climber!steve because I'm getting wayy too invested in this au... enjoy! ill probably draw more, like a climber!bucky sketch or them climbing or something in further chapters)
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments! Thanks for reading! 
> 
> -Sebastian
> 
> P.S. Climbing Lingo:
> 
> Bouldering is where a climber climbs without a harness or rope and solves what are known as problems. Problems are where you have to get from one hold on the wall to another without falling and only using specified holds (which are usually colour or tape coded). Most climbing gyms have a specified bouldering area with crash mats (big padded mattresses) covering the floor to avoid injuries.
> 
> Top rope climbing is climbing with a rope attached to your harness which goes up to the top of the wall and down to the ground where the belayer pulls in slack rope to keep the climber from falling too far down the rope.
> 
> An auto-belay is a machine on the top of a wall with a single end of rope coming down from it that automatically pulls in slack rope and lowers a climber down to the ground again so the climber doesn't need another person to belay for them.
> 
> Lead climbing is where a climber ties in the rope themselves as they climb the wall. There is still a belayer at the bottom of the wall but the climber is dependent on themselves to tie in the rope so they don't fall too far. However, there is more of a risk of a further fall when lead climbing than top rope climbing.
> 
> The white tape on Bucky's fingers is finger tape. Finger tape is used by climbers to protect their skin or tendons/muscles in their fingers while climbing. You don't really need it much when climbing indoors unless you damage your skin or its starting to feel sore.
> 
> Climbers use chalk on their hands to help them grip the rock/holds. Chalk is usually kept in a specially designed chalk bag which the climber attaches to a chalk bag belt or harness for easy access when bouldering or climbing. (a chalk bag has a solid rim so you can easily get your hands in it. Imagine Steve and Bucky covered in the stuff. It gets everywhere. Its impossible to use chalk while climbing and not get it all over your pants.
> 
> Climbing shoes are designed to grip and stick to the rock/holds and are tight fitting to ensure there is minimal "dead space" (places in the shoe your feet don't fill) so you can use smaller holds easier. They often have down-turned toes and heels that stick out a bit so you can perform heel and toe hooks easier and you can climb steep and overhanging walls easier. This is especially useful when bouldering.
> 
> And I'm pretty sure y'all know what a harness is for.


End file.
